Katzin U'Maamin

A good article in Hebrew about the Netanel family.

HaRav Amos Netanel Speaks

From INN:

On Friday, Rabbi Amos Netanael and his wife Malki phoned two of the tank crew members who fired on a building in which the soldiers were taking refuge. In addition, they wrote them a letter full of love and encouragement:

“Dear tank crew #... of Company …. of Regiment …, who are fighting night and day with valor and self-sacrifice on behalf of our nation and land.

"We know that our son Yoni fell as part of the great military campaign at the hands of our own forces. We feel a deep inner need to tell you, with all of our life-strengths, that we love you and embrace you tightly.

“Fatal friendly fire incidents are an unavoidable part of every war and of our ability to defeat the enemy on the battlefield. Yoni went out to war knowing this, and we, his parents, sent him off to war knowing this as well.

“It was not you who hit Yoni!

“Yoni died for the Sanctification of G-d’s Name at the time that G-d decided his time on earth had reached its end. You were the pure angels who had to carry this out.

“We find comfort in the fact that your pure hands struck at him, and not the defiled hands of our wicked enemy – for Yoni could not have been felled by any impure hand.

“It is important for us to tell you that we love you with all the warmth of our hearts, you are like our own children… Please, we ask you, keep up the same great spirit that beat in Yoni’s heart – the spirit of faith, of strength, daring and love, and we will then know that Yoni continues to live forever within you.”

You can see an interview with Rav Netanel (in Hebrew) here. This my friends is what true faith is all about!

Captain Yonatan Netanel z"l

One of the soldiers killed in the "friendly fire incident"was Captain Yonatan Netanel. I know Yonatan's father, Rabbi Amos Netanel quite well. Rabbi Amos is an educator par excellence who teaches/supervises at Talmud Torah Morasha. Below is a letter that Rabbi Amos sent to the parents of his students a couple of days before his son was killed. It tells a lot about the man and his family:



Update: Apparently Yonatan z"l was killed in a different incident than the one I linked to above.